


Before Sunrise

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2018-02-07 05:38:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1887006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Maybe your job is none of my business, and that’s fine, but you are.  Am I being presumptive saying that you are?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before Sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a sequel to Pleasure is my Business. I had a shit day so I was pleased when these characters started talking again. As with any AUs I write, all the characters you'll read will be from Criminal Minds over the last nine seasons unless noted. I also made some changes from the original story this came from, The Proposition, to suit the parameters of this AU.

** MAY 2002 **

The loud vibrating of cell phones woke them both. Erin groaned, turning over and accidentally slapping something on Dave’s body that made him groan as well. The room was dark, they were both grabbing in different directions to see who was being called. Somewhere in the middle of the chaos, a lamp came on.

“It’s not me.” Dave squinted as he held his cell phone in his hand.

“Shit.” Erin rolled over on the mattress, nearly falling off the bed. She half laughed-half screamed as Dave reached out to catch her before she did. Her clutch purse was open on the floor. She grabbed it and then the phone. It had stopped ringing. “Shit.”

“Is everything alright?” Dave asked as she dialed the phone. He didn’t know what was going on and wasn’t sure he wanted to.

“Here’s to hoping. Hey, it’s me. What's going on, John?”

“You need to get back here now.”

“Where is here?” Erin asked. She looked at Dave and then got out of the bed. He didn’t object to her going into the bathroom and pushing up the door.

“I'm back at the office. We’ve had a serious altercation tonight.”

“John…”

“I had to beat the shit out of a guy.” John said. “Like really beat the shit out of him.”

“Is he dead?” Erin asked.

“No, but he was unconscious when we left. I don’t know what the hell he was on. Regina said he did some coke and he couldn’t get it up and she started to get uncomfortable but he wouldn’t let her leave. By the time she buzzed me he was going insane on her. I think his coke was laced with something because guys on coke aren't usually so insane.”

“They are if they do it all the time. Is Regina alright?”

“No. He knocked her around pretty good; the hotel room was a mess by the time I got up there. She's having problems breathing. She's still shaken up, bruised and battered.”

“Call Doc Rawlings.” Erin said.

“I think I should take her to the ER.” John said.

“Are you serious? And you don’t think they're going to wonder what the hell happened to her?”

“She's fucked up, Erin! What if she's bleeding internally or something? She needs a doctor.”

“That’s why I said to call Doc Rawlings. He’ll come and check her out. If she needs more medical attention then we go. I know enough doctors to keep this under the radar. But what I really need is for you to stay calm. You're my guy, and my guy doesn’t lose it when the shit hits the fan. I'm on my way back.”

“You had a job tonight?”

“I had a date tonight.” She said. “Like an actual real date with a guy who wasn’t paying for shit except my dinner. That was really nice.”

“I called your place. Penelope said you weren’t back yet.”

“Do you want to know how long his cock is too or can a woman keep something to herself?”

“Just hurry back; I think Regina would prefer a woman here. I can't say that I blame her.”

“I'm leaving right now. I don’t even remember where I am but as soon as it figure that out I'm coming to you.”

She hung up the phone and went back into the bedroom. Dave looked at her as Erin went about redressing. She wasn’t rushing but he knew what this meant.

“You wanna take my car?” he asked.

“Are you serious?” she stopped moving, cocktail dress in hand, and looked at him. “I must’ve fucked you pretty good to get a Mangusta out of the deal.”

“You didn’t drive tonight.” He said smiling some.

“I know, and I really have to go…it’s an emergency. Do you mind giving me a ride back to DC?”

“Should I even ask?” Dave got out of bed and went over to the dresser.

“Actually, you probably never should.”

“Are you going to be OK? Maybe your job is none of my business, and that’s fine, but you are. Am I being presumptive saying that you are?”

“A little.” Erin replied, holding her forefinger and thumb close together. “But you wear it well, Rossi. And I'm going to be fine. My job just doesn’t always have hours. When I'm needed, I go.”

“What time is it anyway?” Dave pulled on his jeans and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. “Hell, I thought my job pulled me out of bed at ridiculous hours.”

“I didn’t want to get out of bed.” Erin walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I wanted to sleep. I wanted to wake up late and have lazy sex. I wanted you to make me breakfast. Now I'm not going to have any of that.”

“It’s just the excuse I need to see you again. How did you know I make a mean breakfast?”

“There's just something about you.” She kissed him. “C'mon, I gotta go.”

***

The roads were empty at 3:30 in the morning so it didn’t take Dave long to get from his house in Fairfax, Virginia to downtown Washington, DC. Erin didn’t have to give him directions; everyone knew where the Watergate was. He pulled up to the Virginia Avenue entrance. There was a police car parked outside as Dave put his blinkers on.

“That’s the usual.” Erin said. “I'm not too concerned.”

“Are you sure you're alright?” he asked.

“I'm fine, but thank you for your concern.” She nodded. “I had a wonderful time tonight.”

“Me too. I’ll see you soon?”

“If schedules permit.”

“I can work my way around a schedule.” Dave said.

She smiled and leaned across the console to kiss him. Damn, he was a really good guy. It seemed impossible that something might work out between them. Erin didn’t want to get her hopes up. Hell, she couldn’t even have a night of steak and reckless sexual abandon without the job getting in the way. 

There was no way in hell she was going to leave one of her girls hanging out to dry. That wasn’t the way she conducted business. But taking one night off really shouldn’t be so difficult. She used her keycard to swipe into the building and waved at the security guard on duty.

“You're here pretty early, Ms. Strauss.” He said, looking up from his burger and newspaper.

“Sometimes I think the whole company would fold without me.” She put on her dazzling smile. “And by the way, Dan, its 8 a.m. in London and 4 in the afternoon in Tokyo. It never ends.”

“I hear ya.”

Erin got on the elevator and rode up to the 12th floor. Even the janitorial staff was gone for the night. This was when some of DC’s most interesting business took place. John stood outside of the office doors. He was puffing on a cigarette. He was frequently puffing on a cigarette.

“Those things will kill you.” she said.

“I bet I can clock a mile faster than you, Strauss.” He almost grinned. “Don’t let the mass fool you…it’s mostly muscle.”

“That’s what all men say. Is Doc Rawlings here?”

“He's in with her now. I think she’s going to be alright.”

“Thanks, John.” Erin put her hand on his shoulder. “Having guys like you on my side, with my kids, is really important. You help the entire operation run smoothly.”

“Do you need me to go back and make that douche forget everything that happened tonight?”

“No, I'm sure he isn’t going to call the police. His father doesn’t want him in anymore trouble. I'll likely hear from him and when I do he’ll discover he's been banned from every escort service in the Corridor. If he wants to make trouble, I can get him banned up and down the East Coast.”

“This is why the government doesn’t want you ladies to unionize.” John said.

“Tell me about it.”

Erin walked through the frosted glass doors of The Parkinson Group of Executive Finance and Planning. It had been in business for almost seven years and business was booming. The office was dimly lit; she walked into the lounge. Regina was sitting on the couch and Doc Rawlings was examining her.

“I really appreciate this, Doc.” Erin said. “I didn’t mean to drag you out of bed.”

“It’s a little late but I know this is important.”

“What happened Regina?”

“I nearly had the upper hand but whatever he snorted turned him into the fuckin incredible hulk. If John wouldn’t have been there, I don’t even know…” she sighed and then grimaced from the pain.

“Are her ribs fractured?” Erin asked.

“No.” the doctor shook his head. “At least two of them are bruised so she’s going to need to rest, apply ice, and I'm going to write a script for 1000mg Motrin. That should help with the pain.”

“You think you could give me a little something stronger, Doc?” she asked.

“No.” Seth Rawlings and Erin spoke in unison. He tore off the script and handed it to her. “1000mg of Motrin is stronger than most realize. You’ll be fine, as long as you follow the doctor’s orders. If the pain persists or you cannot take two deep breaths per hour, call Erin immediately. You're going to need to go to the hospital.”

“I appreciate it, Doc.” Regina didn’t smile but she nodded acknowledgment. 

“Seth,” Erin put her arm around the doctor as they walked out of the room. “Call Tim in the morning and he’ll handle everything.”

“This one is on the house.” Seth said.

“No such thing.” She shook her head. “I’ll give you the usual.”

“If you insist. And make sure Regina obeys the doctor’s orders. She doesn’t look like she takes directions well.”

“Only when she’s getting paid for it.” Erin smiled and took a $20 from her purse. “For the cab home.”

“Thanks.” Seth didn’t need the money but also didn’t want to offend. She had dragged him out of bed at three in the morning. “By the way, you look fantastic.”

“I had a date tonight.”

“Something tells me it went pretty well.”

“It actually did. I gotta handle this. Goodnight, Doc.”

“’Night.”

Erin went back into the lounge. She sat next to Regina on the couch. The young redhead was leaning back and trying to breathe slowly. It hurt like hell but she had fractured ribs before; that was worse.

“I want you to take the week off.” She said.

“He didn’t pay me, Erin. The son of a bitch didn’t pay me.” Regina rolled her eyes.

“Did you do drugs tonight?”

There was a zero tolerance for drug use at The Parkinson Group. While Erin knew she couldn’t control what her employees did with their off time, if she found out they were high while working they were gone. In a business like this, one had to have their wits at all times. It could go from good times to bad in the blink of an eye. Tonight was one of more than a few experiences of that.

“I didn’t touch that shit.” Regina said. “You know I don’t do other people’s drugs. I only had a Jack and Coke, which I made myself.”

“I’ll make sure you get paid for tonight, with an extra 10% for the bullshit.”

“How much off the top for my next job?” Regina asked.

“You seriously want to talk business right now?” Erin looked at her. “You need to go home and rest, Regina. John will take you to the 24 hour pharmacy to fill that script. I’ll come and see you tomorrow with your pay. One week off; I mean it.”

“I hear you.” she struggled to get up from the couch so Erin helped her. “Thanks Erin.”

“That’s what I'm here for. He's never going to hurt anyone else again.”

“I think you should let John go and finish the job.” Regina said.

“If only it were that easy.”

She smiled a bit and left the office. John knocked lightly on the glass door before walking away so Erin would know that she was alone. She went down the hall to her office and turned on the lamp. Sitting down at her desk, Erin kicked off her heels and put her feet up on the desk. She went into the drawer, took a cigarette from the box of Marlboro Milds and lit one. 

Then she reached over and turned on her desktop rock fountain. The sound of the water flowing soothed her. She turned on the stereo system and pushed play. Schubert’s _Death and the Maiden_ came out of the speakers. She wasn’t going to stay long. She just needed to breathe. 

Inhale, exhale, rinse, and repeat. A night like tonight was a hazard of the job. Sometimes men with money thought they could treat people anyway that amused them. That was doubly so when they were paying for it. Erin fought her way out of a couple of hotel rooms when she was a working girl. 

Anyone who thought the job was all hot sex and glamour was mistaken. Regina was going to be OK physically but the psychological damage would remain. It was hard to put yourself in a position of vulnerability when you knew the possible outcome of it. She was grateful for John Barton and her other guys…no one went out without protection.

The moments of silence did Erin some good. She leaned back, closed her eyes and thought about David. She thought about the way he smelled, the way his body felt when it was close to hers; she thought about the way he cried out her name when he came for the second time. God, why had it been so long since she had sex? It was almost better than she remembered. Her body worked well with Dave’s. She was going to have to experience that again sooner rather than later.

Closing it down for the night, Erin locked up the office and got back on the elevator. She said goodnight to Dan before going back through the revolving door. The police car was still sitting there, and Erin was surprised to see Dave Rossi leaning on his Italian sports car.

“I knew you'd be down eventually.” He said.

“You didn’t have to stay. You shouldn’t have stayed.”

“How were you going to get home?” Dave asked.

“There are these amazing thing called cabs…they can be a girl’s best friend.”

“It’s tough to find one at this hour, even in this town.”

“I'm a resourceful girl.” Erin replied.

“Let me take you home.” He opened the passenger door of the Mangusta.

“This is slightly adorable but a tiny bit pushy. Don’t be that guy, OK Rossi?”

“I won't be; Scout’s honor.”

“Why do I not believe you?” Erin kissed him. “Take me home. If I'm not going to get a homemade omelet in the morning, this night may as well end.”

“It’s already morning.” Rossi said as he closed the door.

“You're right.” She said when he got into the car. “Take me to the Georgetown Diner. We can have some breakfast.”

“You see, I happen to like it when you're slightly adorable but a tiny bit pushy.” He pulled out of the parking space and hit the gas.

***


End file.
